The Southwest Florida Water Management District honored four outstanding Pinellas County water resources education projects. A total of 26 projects were recognized Wednesday during the “Partners in Watershed Education Conference” at the Crowne Plaza Tampa East Hotel.
- Kurt Zuelsdorf, Kayak Nature Adventures owner, was recognized for his “Bringing Back the Bay” community education grant project. Through a 2007 Community Education Grant, Kayak Nature Adventures and 845 volunteers collected approximately 10,000 pounds of garbage from the surface waters of Clam Bayou Nature Preserve. Participants were provided free kayak rental in exchange for their help in this cleanup. Significant media coverage generated from this project exposed an estimated five million newspaper readers and television viewers to the effects of stormwater runoff on an estuary.
- Pinellas County Environmental Lands staff, Holly Shiralipour and Phyllis Kolianos, were recognized for their work at the Brooker Creek Environmental Education Center and Weedon Island Preserve. Using a community-based social marketing approach, three communities in the vicinity of the Brooker Creek Preserve received hands-on education about their impacts on the watershed. Educational activities included nature scavenger hunts, neighborhood block parties, guided canoe trips, workshops, watershed pledge drives and much more. The program ended with a Celebrate Your Watershed event where residents shared what they learned in their community projects.
- Jenna LoDico-Cummings, a teacher at the Canterbury School of Florida, was recognized for her “Canterbury Water-Wise” program. Through a 2007–2008 Splash! mini-grant, Canterbury students built and studied an outdoor freshwater aquatic ecosystem, took a field trip to Sawgrass Lake Park, performed water-related classroom activities and created projects about water resources. They also continued to use and study an on-campus native garden planted during last school year.
In addition, Weedon Island and Brooker Creek each hosted a two-day Watershed Leadership Program workshop series developed to help PIWE awards decision-makers and elected officials expand their understanding of the region’s water issues. The workshop helps them be better prepared to address many of the environmental challenges facing the District. With both classroom sessions and field work, the workshops addressed some of the issues facing urban watersheds.
Pinellas County projects are funded by the Pinellas-Anclote River Basin Board, which also includes a portion of Pasco County.
To select the awardees, District staff reviewed school projects funded through the Splash! mini-grant program and grants applied for by community members, local governments and non-profit groups through the community education grant program. District-sponsored programs that use volunteers to educate others about water conservation were also considered.
Many of the District’s grant projects focus on various aspects of all four of the District’s areas of responsibility — water supply, water quality, natural systems protection and flood protection.